Prescribed pile burns near Flagstaff today and Friday

Flagstaff, Ariz., Jan. 19, 2017, For Immediate Release — The Flagstaff Ranger Station, Mountainaire project and the Mormon Lake work center have produced piles of debris from the thinning of trees, which will be burned today and Friday near Flagstaff and will produce smoke visible to surrounding visitors and residents.

The pile burns will be located east and south of Flagstaff next to the Flagstaff Ranger Station on Highway 89 and next to Priest Draw southwest of Lower Lake Mary. The burns will begin around 10 a.m. and continue through the afternoon, with smoke predicted to move toward the northeast. Friday piles are scheduled to be burned again at Priest Draw and at the Mormon Lake work center at the north end of Lake Mary Road.

Smoke will impact areas near the pile burns and could also impact the parking area near the Elden Lookout trailhead on Highway 89. It will also be visible to those traveling along Highway 89 and Lake Mary Road.

The public and media can get quick notification of when a prescribed burn or any other activity is happening on the Coconino National Forest by following us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/CoconinoNF

When ignition of a prescribed burn begins, we update our Twitter account so the public can know why smoke is in the air and where it is coming from.

Notifications of upcoming prescribed burns are also provided regularly by news releases throughout the season and by the following online resources: